📢 Statement

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the Russian military has deployed North Korean soldiers in infantry assaults in Kursk Oblast, marking the first time a Ukrainian official reported North Korean forces conducting assault operations.

Kursk Oblast
Verified Independently confirmed by 6 sources
Institute for the Study of War Ukrinform Kyiv Independent Kyiv Post UNIAN Censor.NET

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Russian military deployed North Korean soldiers in infantry assaults in Kursk Oblast

North Korean soldiers are likely to be involved in direct assault operations in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation in the near future.

A significant number of North Korean soldiers have begun fighting alongside Russian forces in assault operations.

Over 11,000 North Korean soldiers are now stationed in Kursk region

The North Korean contingent in Russia is commanded by three generals from DPRK

Analytic group DeepState reported that Russian forces made progress in the Kursk region and six other settlements.

President Zelenskyy confirmed evidence of significant DPRK troop involvement in Kursk region assaults.

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Extraction metadata

Extracted: 2026-07-18T16:57:39.443Z

Source story: russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-december-14-2024